The UK National Lottery has teamed up with augmented reality app developers Blippar to create the world's first augmented reality scratchcard.

The new "Christmas Cash" game was launched on Monday. Tickets cost £2 and allow players to win up £80,000 in cash. The tickets also have a special 3D layer that permits players who have downloaded the Blippar app to wave the card in front of their smartphone or smart device for a chance to win £1,000 in shopping vouchers.

Martyn Baxter, head of Instants at Camelot, said: "We’re really excited to be teaming up with Blippar to offer National Lottery players an innovative and exciting new way to extend their scratchcard experience."

When players hold up their cards to be "blipped" by the free Blippar app they will witness the winter scene on their cards come to life on the screen of their device. They can then play an entertaining game and enter a prize draw to win the shopping vouchers. Players will also be advised of creative ways to give their nearest and dearest scratchcards as Christmas gifts.

Jonathan Barrowman, Commercial Director at Blippar, said: "We hope National Lottery Scratchcard players enjoy 'blipping'—which allows you to see the world through a different lens and unlock fun, interactive content on familiar, physical items. The 'blippable' Scratchcards are a great example of how brands can create impact during the cluttered festive season."

Hungary's National Tax and Customs Authority (NAV) is allowing the Hungarian National Lottery (Szerencsejáték Zrt) to bring the EuroJackpot game to Hungary.

The EuroJackpot is an international game played in numerous European countries. Up until now lotto-loving punters in Hungary have been prohibited from playing the game, but tickets will be available from lottery outlets all over the country as from Saturday.

EuroJackpot jackpots start at €15 million. Drawings are held once each week on Fridays. The next drawing is on Friday, October 3, 2014. The estimated jackpot is €16 million. Hungarian players will have to sit that one out, but the following week they will be able to cross their fingers along with players in the other 16 participating countries.

Monday, September 29, 2014

Six years ago Judith Marsh won $250,000 in a US Mega Millions drawing. She has been playing the same numbers ever since. They proved to be a winning combination once again last week when they matched all five of the Mega Millions numbers, but not the Mega Ball, in the Tuesday, September 23, 2014, drawing, and bagged her a $1 million prize.

Marsh bought her ticket from her local Kroger store in Abingdon, Virginia, and returned there on Thursday to pick up her winner's check.

Speaking to Virginia Lottery officials Marsh explained how she felt when she discovered her lucky numbers had done it again.

Mega Millions is the biggest jackpot game in America. Jackpots start at $15 million and other prizes range from $1 to $1 million. Drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 23:00 (ET). The next drawing is on Tuesday, September 30, 2014. The estimated jackpot is $105 million.

A store clerk from the SuperAmerica gas station in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, has been arrested for stealing $1,149.50 worth of Minnesota Lottery tickets.

According to the criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court, Julie Marie Koch, 22, was charged with one count of theft and one count of fraud.

The store manager first became suspicious on March 28, when he noticed some tickets were missing from the center of a lottery ticket book. A subsequent check of footage captured by the store's surveillance cameras revealed Koch stealing ticket on several occasions between March 23 and March 28.

Koch quit her job before the manager could confront her about the situation and the matter was reported to the police on April 4.

An investigator from the Minnesota State Lottery confirmed several of the stolen tickets have been cashed.

Janon Frei from Jasper in Pickens County, Georgia, was checking her Facebook newsfeed when a story from the KnowPickens.com website caught her eye. The story was about an unclaimed US Powerball prize, won on a local ticket.

"I said to myself, 'Those numbers look familiar,'" Janon told Georgia Lottery officials when she claimed her prize on Tuesday.

When she pulled out her Quick Pick ticket Janon saw at once why the numbers were so familiar. She had successfully matched all five of the winning numbers drawn on Wednesday, September 17, 2014. If she'd matched the Powerball as well she would have snagged the $171 million jackpot, but her five numbers were still sufficient to turn Janon into a millionaire.

According to the rules of the US Powerball game, players who fail to get the Powerball number, but match all five main numbers, usually win $1 million. Janon had invested an extra dollar though, and added the Power Play option to her ticket.

The Power Play option increases the size of non-jackpot-winning prizes by up to 5 times the normal amount, depending on the Power Play number drawn. On Wednesday, September 17, the Power Play number was 2, so Janon's prize was doubled.

Recalling how she felt when she realized she was the owner of a $2 million ticket, Janon said: "I was shaking. I was really excited!"

The US Powerball is a multi-state draw that offers a minimum jackpot of $40 million. Numbers are drawn on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 22:59 (EST). The Next drawing is on Wednesday, October 1, 2014. The estimated jackpot is $50 million.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

The California Lottery is still searching for the owner of the ticket that scooped the SuperLotto Plus jackpot last Wednesday.

The winning ticket was purchased at Parkwood Gas and Food on West Hammer Lane in Stockton, just hours before he draw. Wednesday's SuperLotto Plus Jackpot was $11 million, so it a life-changing amount of money, and store manager Jesse Tiwana is very excitied to have sold the winning ticket.

"It's not every day someone wins the Lotto in your store, Tiwana said. "It's once in a lifetime."

According to Tiwana, the winning ticket was purchased by a woman, on Wednesday afternoon, at 15:47. She has 180 days from the date of the drawing to claim her prize.

The California SuperLotto Plus numbers drawn on Wednesday, September 24, 2014, were 17, 23, 28, 33, and 42. The Mega Number was 1.

A man from Ware, Massachusetts, claimed a $390,000 lottery prize earlier this week just hours before the deadline for his ticket expired.

According to the Massachusetts State Lottery, Dennis Cote purchased his "Lucky for Life" ticket from a gas station in Whately nearly ago. He claimed his prize on Thursday and told lottery officials he'd been "just too busy to make the long trek from Ware to Braintree" to stake his claim, but had used the time to do some financial planning.

Cote said he intends to use some of the prize to pay off his mortgage and invest the rest of the money.

A nail salon worker from San Mateo, California, visited the California Lottery headquarters on Thursday and claimed the mammoth $228.5 million jackpot from the US Powerball drawing held on Wednesday, September 24, 2014.

Vinh Nguyen told lottery officials he wants to maintain a normal life and declined to take part in a news conference.

The California Lottery released no other information about him other than his name and occupation, but keeping a low profile can hard when such a large prize is involved. Reporters soon tracked him down and by Friday morning hoards of story-seekers and photographers had made their way to Nail Resort in Cary Avenue, San Mateo, only to find it closed.

Many workers in neighboring stores had no idea they had a Powerball winner in their midst and were amazed to see such a commotion.

Press-On Cleaners proprietor Julianna Mo told reporters Nguyen sometimes does her nails, said he has a great sense of humor, and called him a very deserving winner.

Meanwhile, Nguyen insists he does not wish to be interviewed, but said in a statement issued by the California Lottery that he's been playing the lottery for five years, uses the money he receives from tips to purchase his tickets, and had spent $30 on tickets for the Wednesday night drawing.

"I picked my own numbers for the ticket," he said. "They were all random. Whatever numbers come into my head I pick."

The Lottery said Nguyen opted to take his prize in annuity payments rather than as a one-off lump-sum.

The US Powerball is a multi-state draw that offers a minimum jackpot of $40 million. Numbers are drawn on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 22:59 (EST). The next drawing is on Wednesday, October 1, 2014. The estimated jackpot is $40 million.

Saturday, September 27, 2014

One ticket matched the six winning numbers in the Saturday night UK National Lottery Lotto drawing, so the £4.5 million jackpot has been won.

The winning Lotto numbers drawn on Saturday, September 27, 2014, were 1, 3, 7, 19, 20, and 46. The bonus number was 15.

Seventeen players matched five winning numbers and the bonus ball to win second tier prizes of £15,345, and 394 players won £562 for matching five numbers. A further £9,770,406 was distributed in smaller prizes to lower tier winners.

UK Lotto drawings are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Next Wednesday's Lotto drawing has an estimated jackpot of £2.1 million.

A retired couple from Billingham in North East England scooped the £4.5 million UK Lotto jackpot on Wednesday, September 17, 2014, but after 20 years of dedicated playing, Denis and Mary Graham admit they had almost given up any hopes of a big prize.

"We've enjoyed playing since The National Lottery began but never thought we'd win a big, life-changing amount such as this," Denis said. "It still doesn’t feel quite real and I keep having to convince myself we’ve actually won!"

The lucky winners have stuck with the same numbers for the past couple of decades, so it was an amazing experience for Denis when he checked the winning numbers and they all looked so familiar.

"I went online on my computer and thought I’d won £25 for three numbers, which I was happy enough with, then I realized I had more numbers," Denis said. "I couldn’t quite believe it when I matched all six—I felt numb and thought it was some kind of joke."

Denis is a former Welder and Mary used to be a health care assistant, so they both know what it's like to work hard for a living and hope news of their win will help provide hope to other working-class players.

"We decided to share the news of our win as we didn’t want to keep it a secret and we want people to know that it’s possible for normal hard-working people like us to win," Mary explained.

As for their plans for the future, the couple are adamant the money will not change them and say they will share the prize with their nearest and dearest.

A lottery syndicate from Dublin has claimed the €86.7 million EuroMillions jackpot from the Friday, September 19, 2014, drawing.

There has been a lot of speculation during the last week about the identity of the winning ticket holder, but the mystery will go on because the syndicate has opted to keep their secret and claim the prize anonymously.

The syndicate visited the National Lottery Ireland's offices yesterday, a full week after their win, and told lottery staff: "We're on top of the world."

This is the fourth time a EuroMillions Jackpot has been won on an Irish ticket since June 2013.

Friday, September 26, 2014

The Friday night EuroMillions jackpot proved to be evasive; so a second rollover has pumped up the pot to give players a bigger prize to play for next week.

The biggest winners were the six players who won second tier prizes of €269,196 for matching five main numbers and one Lucky Star. To bag the €25.7 million (£20.1 million) jackpot a second Lucky Star would have been required.

The EuroMillions numbers drawn on Friday, September 26, 2014 were 13, 27, 35, 46, and 47. The two Lucky Stars were 1 and 2.

Five players won third tier prizes of €107,678 for matching five main numbers.

Fifty-one players won €5,278 for matching four main numbers and two Lucky Stars, and a further 2,467,881 EuroMillions players were awarded smaller prizes from the lower tiers.

The next EuroMillions drawing is on Tuesday, September 30, 2014. The estimated jackpot is €32 million (£25 million).

People are quick to say lightning never strikes twice in the same place, but Nova Scotian work buddies Chris Parker and Ernest Lightfoot recently proved the old saying wrong when they both secured identical lottery prizes.

Parker bagged his CAD$ 25,649 prize when he was the Guaranteed Prize Draw winner in the Canada Lotto 649 drawing held on Wednesday August 6, 2014.

Defying all the odds, Lightfoot won the CAD$ 25,649 Guaranteed Prize Draw the following week.

There is one Guaranteed Prize Draw winner in every Lotto 649 drawing.

Kentville resident, Parker may have won his prize before Lightfoot, but he wasn't as on the ball when it came to claiming it. He is a regular player, but always holds onto his tickets for a while before he gets around to checking them, and was spurred into action when he heard the Atlantic Lottery Corporation was searching for a missing Prize Draw winner in the Nova Scotia area.

When parker eventually checked his tickets he discovered he'd won CAD$ 5 on the very first ticket. The big winner was at the bottom of the stack.

Lightfoot, who lives at Cambridge, was quicker to realize he'd won a prize and had made his claim long before Parker checked his tickets.

As for their plans for the money, Lightfoot has his heart set on a new home, Parker plans to share the money with his wife and two daughters, and both men are considering taking a vacation.

A farmer from Batemans Bay, New South Wales, has claimed the AUD$ 1 million Division 1 prize from Wednesday's Australia Lotto drawing. Full of beans he told lottery officials he'd been unable to stop laughing since he checked his ticket and discovered he'd become an overnight millionaire.

NSW Lottery staff couldn’t help smiling as well when the lucky winner joked: "Is there any chance I could get my $1 million prize money in $1 coins?"

Despite his jovial attitude, the wise-cracking farmer is keeping a level head about the win and does not plan on blowing his new found wealth on sports cars or other flamboyant purchases. He intends to pay of his mortgage.

"I'll also be able to buy myself a new tractor and maybe a couple of cows!" he said.

Calleja was arrested after an undercover lottery agent visited the store and presented a winning ticket. Calleja checked the ticket and told the agent it was not a winner. Her husband Jose Calleja was also taken into custody when he tried to redeem the ticket later that day.

Calleja is not the only dishonest retailer who has been caught out. The agent's visit to her store was part of an ongoing undercover operation intended to reveal which retailers can be trusted along with those who cannot.

Agents have been taking particular interest in stores that produce regular winners since an investigation by the Palm Beach Post, in March this year, revealed many of the winners were not playing by the rules.

As a result of another investigation, earlier this year, one retailer was banned from selling tickets from his seven stores after it was revealed his mother had claimed 47 prizes of $1,000 or more in the space of just 3 years.

The La Rampa Supermarket's most frequent winner is Calleja's husband, who has claimed 11 lottery prizes, with a combined value of nearly $36,000, since 2008.

A Canadian man who popped down to a local pharmacy to pick up a few things for his wife ended up feeling very good indeed last week when his errand resulted in a substantial lottery win.

York resident, Chad Perry is not a regular lottery player, but as he stood in line at the pharmacy he made a snap decision and purchased a ticket for the Wednesday, September 17, 2014, Canada Lotto 649 drawing.

Perry's unplanned ticket purchase certainly paid off for him because his ticket matched five of the winning numbers, plus the bonus ball, and bagged him a second tier prize of CAD $52,953.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

No tickets matched the six main numbers necessary to win the £2.2 million jackpot in the Wednesday Night UK National Lottery Lotto drawing, so the draw ended in a rollover.

The winning UK Lotto numbers drawn on Wednesday, September 24, 2014, were 4, 8, 29, 33, 38, and 48. The bonus number was 15.

Four players matched five winning numbers and the bonus ball, to win second tier prizes of £45,433, and 111 ticket-holders won £1,390 for matching five numbers. A further £4,066,301 was distributed in smaller prizes to lower tier winners.

UK National Lottery Lotto drawings are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The Estimated jackpot for Saturday, September 27, 2014, is £5.7 million.

It was a case of close but no cigar for a man from Luxembourg on Saturday when he matched the six winning numbers in the German Lotto 6aus49 drawing. If he'd matched the Super Ball as well he would have scooped the €4 million jackpot, but his six numbers were still sufficient to secure him a €904,322 prize.

A German player from Brandenburg also matched the six winning numbers, but no tickets matched all six numbers and the Super Ball so the pot has been increased by a rollover. The German Lotto drawing is on Wednesday, September 24, 2014. The estimated jackpot is €6 million.

A man from Ontario, Canada, recently picked up large lottery prize and told lottery officials his win was the result of a Fluke.

"It was a fluke!" Scott Watkin said. "I happened to be at Shoppers [Shoppers Drug Mart] and just decided to buy a ticket."

Watkin won a Maxmillions CAD$ 1 million in the Canada Lotto Max drawing held on Friday, September 5, 2014, but it took him over a week to get around to checking his ticket.

"The funny thing is, the day after the draw, my wife and I were driving and we heard the announcer on the radio say there was a winning ticket in Georgetown," Watkin recalled. "My wife joked, 'Wouldn't it be funny if we won?' Then I forgot about the whole thing."

A week later his wife reminded him about the ticket so Watkins took it down to a local store and ran it through the self-checker. As soon as he looked at screen on the machine he knew he'd won a prize, but Watkins, had forgotten to bring his glasses with him and had trouble reading the display.

"The screen said 'big winner', but I didn't know if it was $10,000 or $100,000," he said.

When he discovered the true size of the prize he got the shock of his life.

"I never thought it would be a million. I couldn't believe it when I found out," Watkins admitted.

When asked about his plans for the money, Watkins said he intends to leave it in the bank.

Maxmillions are additional CAD$1 million prizes that come into play when the Canada Lotto Max Jackpot reaches CAD$50 million.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

The biggest winners were the three ticket-holders who won second tier prizes of €357,328 for matching five main numbers and one Lucky Star. If any of those players had matched a second lucky star they would have scooped the €15 million (£11.7 million) jackpot, but that was not to be so the big-money prize has been saved for another day.

The EuroMillions numbers drawn on Tuesday, September 23, 2014 were 12, 13, 14, 29, and 35. The two Lucky Stars were 1 and 7.

Two players failed to get any Lucky Stars, but won third tier prizes of €178,664 for matching five main numbers.

Thirty-six players won €4,962 for matching four main numbers and two Lucky Stars, and 1,887,199 EuroMillions players were awarded smaller prizes from the lower tiers.

The next EuroMillions drawing is on Friday, September 26, 2014. The estimated jackpot is €25 million (£20 million).

The Texas Lottery Commission is facing legal proceedings after hundreds of players were refused prizes of up to $500,000. The lottery claims the players misinterpreted the rules printed on their "Fun 5" scratch-off tickets, but Texas Lottery watchdog Dawn Nettles does not agree and has already sent a letter of complaint to the Travis County district attorney.

Houston-based attorney Manfred Sternberg, who has been hired by a group of disgruntled players, says the Lottery Commission must step up to the mark before its reputation is damaged any further.

"You've got the players of the game and the people of Texas saying that they're cheaters," Sternberg said. "That's not good PR and, quite frankly, it's not what we want from our Lottery Commission."

The controversial game remains in circulation and the lottery says it has no plans to recall the offending cards.

"The lottery is trying to convince everyone that they're reading it wrong and that's B.S.," Nettles fumed. "They are out their selling a product that is deceptive."

Last Wednesday's £4.5 million UK Lotto jackpot has been claimed by a 42-year-old man from North London.

Road Sweeper Joseph Whiting is used to starting his day early and when he got out of bed at 4am on Thursday, September 18, 2014, the first thing he did was check his ticket.

Speaking to UK National Lottery representatives yesterday, the father of three said: "I woke up and checked the numbers on teletext at four in the morning and I saw all six numbers. I couldn't believe it. I didn't have my glasses on so I put them on and checked two or three more times."

After he'd finally convinced himself his eyes weren't playing tricks on him Whiting shared the news with his mother, and promptly got accused of playing tricks on her.

"Give over," she told him. "It's too early in the morning for jokes like that."

Not wanting to press the point any further, Whiting headed for work.

"I don't know how I got through the day," Whiting said. "My mind was all over the place. You can check 100 times and you are still not sure."

Any doubts he may have had were quickly assuaged that evening when he returned home and contacted the National Lottery organizers, Camelot UK, who confirmed the win.

When asked about his plans for the future, the lucky winner said he intends to take some driving lessons, buy a larger house, and treat his children by taking them to Disneyland.

There was another US Mega Millions rollover on Friday so there is an estimated jackpot of $83 million up for grabs on Tuesday night. That's a major chunk of cash, but Wednesday's US Powerball Jackpot makes the present Mega Millions top prize look like small change.

The Powerball jackpot hasn't been won since Saturday, August 9, 2014, when one lucky ticket-holder bagged the $90 million top prize. There's been 12 rollovers since then and the present Powerball jackpot has grown to $225 million.

Over in Europe the Tuesday's EuroMillions drawing has an estimated jackpot of €15 million. That's not particularly large for a EuroMillions Pot, but on Friday, October 3, 2014, there will be a much bigger prize to play for because a Superdraw has been scheduled so there is a guaranteed jackpot of €100 million.

The Wyoming Lottery has been selling ticket for less than a month. That's not long but lottery scammers have already been trying to pull in fresh victims by contacting people and telling them they've won large WyoLotto prizes.

In one scam potential victims receive a call from someone claiming to represent the Wyoming Lottery who tells them they have won a $2.5 million US Powerball or US Mega Millions prize. The caller then states an $800 fee is required to cover taxes and prize processing costs.

Wyoming Lottery CEO Jon Clontz has issued a statement warning Wyoming residents not to be taken in, stating the Wyoming Lottery does not know who the winners are until they come forward and present their tickets.

"We don’t notify people if they’ve won, they notify us," Clontz said.

Clontz also pointed out the Wyoming Lottery does not require a payment from players before prizes can be processed.

Lottery scammers can be very convincing and often try to get victims to part with personal information that can then be used to steal their identity. In another version of the scam unsuspecting victims are sent large checks to deposit into their bank accounts and are then duped into parting with money to cover the fees. By the time the victim's bank contacts them to say the check has bounced it is too late.

In May this year, Canadian woman, Diana Barnowich discovered her elderly mother had fallen victim to lottery scammers, based in Jamaica, and prevented her from mailing them CAD$ 2,500 in cash. She later discovered her mother had already sent the scammers over CAD$ 11,000 to cover fees for the bogus prize.

Sunday, September 21, 2014

A woman from Alberta Canada has commenced court proceedings against two men she alleges tried to steal her lottery winnings.

The incident in question happened in December of last year.

In a statement of claim filed in Edmonton's Court of Queen's Bench on Monday, September 8, 2014, Fairview resident Colleen Platzer, 43, claims she asked Wesley Smith, 26, to take three Canada Lotto 649 lottery tickets to a local Husky gas station and check if they were winners. Platzer says Smith agreed to do so and then tried to pocket the money for himself when he discovered one of the tickets had won CAD$ 100,000, in the October 19, 2013, Lotto 649 drawing.

Platzer further alleges Smith then told her that none of the tickets were winners.

Records at the Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC) show Smith filed a statement of claim at the WCLC office in St. Albert on December 17, 2013.

When Smith presented the ticket, lottery officials noticed the signature box on the reverse side of the ticket had been scratched, became suspicious, and refused to process the claim because it appeared as if Smith had substituted his name for that of another player.

Platzer contacted the WCLC on December 23, 2013, and told officials she was the rightful owner of the winning ticket.

Platzer also names Kenneth Carty as defendant in the lawsuit because he claimed joint ownership of the ticket on May 1, 2014.

The WCLC has deposited the winning in trust with Court of Queen's Bench until the matter can be resolved.

A US Powerball player from Aberdeen, South Dakota, got a big surprise last week when she discovered her ticket had matched five of the five main Powerball numbers drawn on Wednesday, September 17, 2014, and secured a $1 million 2nd tier prize.

Sarah Johnson claimed her prize on Friday and told lottery officials she'd heard someone in Aberdeen had won a big prize, but never dreamed her Quick Pick ticket had bagged the prize.

"I went home at noon, grabbed the ticket and looked at the numbers," Johnson told lottery officials. "Then I went to the gas station to check the numbers and all the screens would say is 'see lottery office,' so we weren't totally sure we had won until now. I never thought this would happen in my lifetime."

The Kusler's BP station on Main Street, Aberdeen, will receive a $1,000 retailer's bonus for selling the winning ticket.

Friday's mammoth €86 million EuroMillions jackpot has been scooped by a player in Ireland. The National Lottery Ireland is not revealing where the winning ticket was purchased until next week.

It's the fourth time a EuroMillions Jackpot has been won on an Irish ticket since June 2013, when a ticket-holder bagged the €94 million top prize. Another ticket-holder won €12.8 million in September 2013, and yet another player bagged €15 million in March this year.

Eurojackpot drawings are also held on Fridays, but the last draw failed to produce any big winners so next week's Eurojackpot drawing has an estimated jackpot of €12 million.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

One lucky ticket holder matched the six winning numbers in the UK National Lottery Lotto drawing earlier tonight and bagged the entire £3,955,683 jackpot.

The winning UK Lotto numbers drawn on Saturday, September 20, 2014, were 2, 6, 22, 26, 33, and 48. The bonus number was 43.

Seven players matched five winning numbers and the bonus ball to win second tier prizes of £45,105, and 335 players won £800 for matching five numbers. A further £8,428,518 was distributed in smaller prizes to lower tier winners.

UK Lotto drawings are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The next drawing is on Wednesday, September 24, 2014. The estimated jackpot is £2.1 million.

Since they won the EuroMillions £161 million jackpot in 2011, Colin and Christine Weir's names have been used in several internet scams and the scammers appear to be at it again because a new email claims Christine Weir is about to share $5 million (£3million) between five lucky members of the public.

Email recipients are asked to contact a lawyer, claimed to be acting on behalf of the Weirs, and provide personal information in readiness for the bogus funds.

A spokeswoman for the Weirs said: "Neither the Weirs nor the Weir Charitable Trust will ever email unsolicited offers of money to anyone, in any currency. If you are approached by someone claiming to be them, or their representative, and asking you to provide personal or financial details, it is a scam."

Thursday, September 18, 2014, was a big day for, Fillmore resident, Ray Salada. It was the day he and his wife Donna were presented with an oversized New York Lottery check for $7.5 million.

Salada, who owns Perry’s Used Auto Sales & Service in Perry, was driving home from work on August 13, 2014, when he got the urge to stop off at a convenience store and buy a lottery ticket.

"It’s just an occasional thing with me," Salada explained to New York Lottery officials.

Salada took a look at the tickets available and chose a $25 "Silver Spectacular" scratch-off ticket because he thought the game produced a lot of winners, never realizing that he was about to become the latest big winner himself.

He scratched off the tickets top coating while he was still in the store and immediately realized he'd made the right choice.

"I knew I had a winner, but I didn’t know for how much," Salada said.

When he ran the ticket through the self-checker the screen said "Big Winner" and it was only then that he did a little extra scratching on his ticket to discover the true extent of his win.

"He came home real excited—I actually thought something was wrong," Donna Salada recalled. "Then he said he won a jackpot and our lives were going to change."

Salada opted to take his prize as a one-off, lump-sum payment of $4.96 million, after taxes.

Pan Patel, who manages the store that sold the winning ticket, said: "I’m very happy for him. He stops in here three or four times a week, and he’s a good guy."

Ryan Waggoner of Walla Walla, in Washington, had a number of small wins playing the Washington Lottery's instant-win games so he kept on playing and his winning streak culminated in a $50,000 prize.

Waggoner's largest win to date came courtesy of a Washington Lottery "Spy Some Cash" scratch-off ticket.

"I've won some smaller amounts here and there, and even won $500 last month," Waggoner told lottery officials, "so I figured I would keep playing."

Although a $50,000 prize is enough to put a smile on his face, Waggoner may be smiling brighter still in the future because the lucky winner is planning to invest part of the money in some dental work.

Wednesday's €4,871,046 Irish Lotto jackpot has been claimed by a lottery syndicate from County Donegal. The lucky winners discovered they'd bagged the top prize within just hours of the draw and met up the following morning for a celebratory breakfast.

The 13 syndicate members all work for Forward Emphasis International in Malin Head. Each member will receive €375,000.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

A number of Texas Lottery players have been left feeling angry and disappointed by the lottery's "Fun 5’s" instant-win game, and didn’t find it much fun at all when they handed in what they believed was a winning ticket only to told that was not the case.

Several of the peeved punters have been in touch with, self-appointed, Texas Lottery watchdog Dawn Nettles.

Nettles has been monitoring the lottery's activities for over 20 years and publishing the results of her investigations—including instances where the lottery breaks its own rules—in her Lotto Report.

Based on the wording of the rules on the ticket, Nettles believes the players have a strong case against the lottery.

The games rules, as printed on the ticket, state: "Reveal a 'money bag' symbol in the 5X box, win five times that prize."

Austin resident, Geraldine Steele, scratched off her ticket and believed she'd won $500,000, but when her husband took it back to the gas station Geraldine had purchased it from he was told the ticket had no value.

"We were disappointed because the machine showed that it was not a winner, and we thought that it was a winner," James Steele said.

Nettles says she knows Geraldine and James Steele are not alone in their frustration because she has received over 150 calls from angry players. All of them thought they’d won because their tickets had the money bag symbol in the 5X box.

Texas Lottery officials are adamant that the players have misinterpreted the rules of the game, but Nettles disagrees and has already sent a letter of complaint to the Travis County district attorney.

An anonymous couple from Feilding in North Island, New Zealand, claimed Saturday's AUD$ 7.2 million New Zealand Powerball jackpot earlier this week and told lottery officials they'd been so captivated by the Saturday night All Blacks v South Africa rugby game they failed to realize the size of their prize.

The man said he "quickly checked the ticket" and switched back to the rugby.

"He didn't say a word, so I figured we hadn't had any luck," his wife added.

Even when the realization finally hit them it came as such a shock they re-checked their ticket several times.

News of the win came as a big surprise to their children as well, and one of them was especially eager to assist with the claims process.

In 1996 Charlene and Orest Gulka from British Columbia, Canada, bagged a CAD$ 2.7 million Canada Lotto 649 jackpot prize and kept on playing the game. It's taken over 18 years to do so, but they secured a second seven-figure sum on August 23, 2014, when they won the Lotto 649 guaranteed CAD$ 1 million prize.

Casting her mind back to the moment they realized they'd won a second major prize, Charlene said: "I couldn't believe it, I still can't believe it. We just kind of looked at each other. The ticket has been in my purse and with me the whole time. It is just as exciting as the first time."

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Three tickets matched the six winning numbers in the Wednesday night UK National Lottery Lotto drawing so the £13,712,661 jackpot will be split three ways. Each ticket-holder will receive £4,570,887.

The winning Lotto numbers for Wednesday, September 17, 2014 were 9, 19, 22, 34, 41, and 46. The bonus number was 6.

Six players matched five winning numbers and the bonus ball to win second tier prizes of £51,678, and 215 players won £1,224 for matching five numbers. A further £6,531,125 was distributed in smaller prizes to lower tier winners.

UK National Lottery Lotto drawings are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The Saturday, September 20, 2014, Lotto drawing has an estimated jackpot of £4 million.

A lotto player from Vancouver who won Canada Lotto 649 jackpot on Wednesday, September 10, 2014, was presented with an oversized presentational check yesterday, and with $9,225,610.30 written next to his name, it's not surprising he wore such a winning smile.

Like many lottery winners before him Keith Best said he plans to take an extended vacation, but when he told lottery official how he picked his numbers it came as quite a surprise.

Best said his numbers are usually based on the temperatures of his favorite cities mixed with important dates from his life.

"I try to pick numbers logically, but these just jumped out at me," he said.

With over $11 million in the bank Joe and Rhonda Meath can probably have pretty most anything they want, but they have declared their intention to maintain their normal lifestyle and plan on giving a lot of the money to charity.

The Meaths, who come from Bethel Minnesota, won the $11.7 million US Hot Lotto jackpot on September 6, 2014. They celebrated their good fortune, by giving a $15,000 tip to the 18-year-old store clerk who sold them their ticket so she could use it towards her college fund.

The down-to-earth winners are also planning on donating a wedge of cash to the St. Paul Police K-9 Foundation—a charity that provides financial support for the St. Paul Police Canine Unit—and, animal lover, Rhonda intends to donate a German shepherd in her father's name.

Although Joe and Rhonda say they will set some money aside for their children and grandchildren, the couple are determined the money will not change them and Rhonda has every intention of continuing to wait tables at the Lake Elmo Inn.

"I don’t think it's [the money] going to change our life much. We just hope it doesn't change the people around us," Joe said. "We’re easy-going—laid-back. We like our family, we love dogs; we are just going to do what we do."

US Hot Lotto is a multi-state game. Drawings are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays, just after the US Powerball drawings (22.59 EST). The next drawing is on Wednesday, September 17, 2014. The estimated jackpot is $1.1 million.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

There was an eight EuroMillions rollover earlier tonight, so the draw failed to produce any new EuroMillionaires.

The big-money prize may have evaded players yet again, but three lucky ticket-holders won second tier prizes of €419,829 for matching five main numbers and one Lucky Star. To scoop the €74.6 million (£59.4 million) jackpot a second lucky would have been necessary.

The EuroMillions numbers drawn on Tuesday September 16, 2014 were 4, 29, 30, 35, and 50. The Lucky Stars were 2 and 4.

Six players got no Lucky Stars, but were awarded third tier prizes of €69,971 for matching five main numbers.

Thirty-four players won €6,173 for matching four main numbers and two Lucky Stars, and a further 1,914,355 EuroMillions players were awarded smaller prizes from the lower tiers.

The next EuroMillions drawing is on Friday, September 19, 2014. The estimated jackpot is €87 million (£69 million).

A man from Dublin visited the National Lottery Ireland's head office on Monday, claimed the €350,000 top prize from Saturday's Irish Lotto Plus 1 drawing, and admitted he'd made a mistake with his entry.

The man placed his entry online and accidentally picked a different number to the one he intended, so he was doubly delighted when he realized his original numbers would have only secured him a €3,500. His mistake topped up his bank balance by an extra €346,500.

"As luck would have it, I only started playing the Plus draw recently. It’s just incredible!" the winner said.

Before the 30-year-old personal trainer left the house to make good on her promise her fiancé Jeff Bourret, 32, reminded her there was a big Lotto Max jackpot up for grabs and suggested she buy a ticket.

"I usually buy lottery tickets when I know the jackpot is large and for some reason I bought two," Deanna said.

When Deanna's mother called her the day after the draw, and said someone in Orillia had won the Lotto Max jackpot, Deanna went online immediately and checked her two Quick Pick tickets. She knew one of them was a winner, but wasn't sure how much she'd won; so she snapped a picture of the ticket using her phone and sent it Jeff by text message.

Jeff, who is a government employee, was at work at the time, so he finished up early and took Deanna to lottery retailer so she could validate the ticket.

Once they were sure of their prize, Deanna and Jeff, needed a little time to let it all sink in, so didn’t claim it straight away.

Jeff said: "It's been an emotional rollercoaster. We got some great advice from our family and now we are turning to a team of financial advisors who will help guide us through this incredible good fortune, so that we can enjoy it for years and decades to come."

Monday, September 15, 2014

When she won the €32 million EuroMillions jackpot, in December 2013, Margaret Loughrey swore she was going to spread the money around and 'do the right thing'. True to her word, she has already given away half her fortune to people in need and to good causes, but some of her recent actions have made her name newsworthy for all the wrong reasons.

The local cricket team in Strabane, Ireland, forfeited the last two games of the season after Loughrey locked them out of their training ground due to a dispute over some keys.

Loughrey acquired the ground, along with the nearby bowling green, when she purchased the Herdman's Mill site, which she intends to turn into a tourist attraction. She made her decision to padlock the gate because the club failed to ensure she had access to the site.

Loughrey said: "Where it sits is this: it's my land and I was locked out of it. All they had to do was meet with me, because I'm very easy worked with."

When the team was unable to play a home fixture on August 30, 2014, it was the first time a game had been forfeited in the clubs 150-year history, so local emotions are running quite high.

Club officials said: "This incident has created a lot of apprehension in the village and throughout cricketing circles in the north west."

Last week the local bowling team felt the EuroMillions Winner's wrath when she banned them from using the green as a reprimand for making her feel unwelcome.

"I was up there one night with a friend," Loughrey told the Strabane Chronicle, "and the attitude from the bowlers wasn't great. One of them said to me: 'What are you doing here?'"

Representatives from the two clubs are hoping the problems will be resolved in the near future.

A New York bus driver could be swapping the bus lane for life in the fast lane thanks to a big lottery win.

Rodney Cochran, 61, won $1000 a day for life in the New York Lottery Cash4Life drawing held on August 31, 2014, but didn't realize he'd scooped the games top prize until the following day when he returned to the Bodega store where he purchased the winning ticket.

Full of excitement, the clerk told Cochran he'd sold a winning ticket in the previous evening' draw. Cochran took his ticket from his pocket and discovered he was the lucky winner.

Cochran picked up his life-changing prize last Friday and told New York Lottery officials he intends to pay off a few bills and take a vacation.

"Somewhere where the water is really, really blue," Cochran said. "Oh, and I’m gonna get a new car."

Sunday, September 14, 2014

A Pharmacy technician from West Plains, Missouri, picked up a sizeable cash prize when she purchased a Missouri Lottery scratch-off ticket to help alleviate her Friday night boredom. It certainly proved an effective remedy because when she's finished scratching away the ticket's top coating she discovered she's won $50,000.

Kayla Helton's boredom-busting prize came courtesy of the lottery's "5X Crossword" game, but the lucky winner admits she doesn't play that particular game very often.

"I don’t usually scratch those, but when I’m bored, I do, because they take up some time," Kayla told lottery officials on September 5, 2014.

Winning so much money was such a surprise for her the flabbergasted 25-year-old had to pop around to her father's house and ask him to double check the ticket. Her father went ahead and checked it, but was so shocked at what he saw he suggested they take it to a lottery retailer and check it yet again.

Once the doubting duo had finally accepted it was a winning ticket Kayla got on the phone and shared the good news with her husband, Steve, who had some doubts of his own.

Calgary resident Terry Reinhardt was so surprised when she discovered her Canada Lotto 649 ticket had scooped her a CAD$ 2.5 million prize in the August 30, 2014, drawing she found it impossible to hold back her tears.

Terry correctly matched all six of the winning numbers, but a ticket holder from Ontario picked the same set of numbers so they each shared the CAD$ 5 million jackpot.

Terry discovered she was a jackpot winner the day after the draw when her partner went online and checked the winning numbers.

"I was in the living room," Terry said. "That’s when he yelled for me. He says he yelled three times, but I only heard him the once. I cried. I couldn’t believe it."

When asked about her plans for the money Terry said she needed time to "figure things out" but would probably do some travelling.

A couple from Bethel, Minnesota, who bagged the US Hot Lotto Jackpot on September 6, 2014, has decided to share a little of their good luck with the 18-year-old store clerk who sold them their winning ticket.

Joe and Rhonda Meath claimed their $11.7 million prize on Monday and, as a "thank you", gave $15,000 to high school senior, Sanita Rouse, to put in her college fund.

When Rouse was called into work, for a meeting with her employer, she feared she may be about to get fired. She got the surprise of her life when she learned the real reason she'd been called in.

Saturday, September 13, 2014

No tickets matched the six main numbers necessary to win the £10.8 million jackpot in the UK National Lottery Lotto drawing earlier tonight so the draw ended in a rollover.

The winning lotto numbers for Saturday, September 13, 2014, were 12, 15, 22, 29, 30, and 35. The bonus number was 44.

Four players matched five winning numbers and the bonus ball, to win second tier prizes of £93,421, and 281 ticket-holders won £1,129 for matching five numbers. A further £9,720,758 was distributed in smaller prizes to lower tier winners.

UK National Lottery Lotto drawings are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The Wednesday, September 17, 2014, Lotto drawing has an estimated jackpot of £13 million.

A project intended to ensure elderly residents in Leeds, England, do not succumb to loneliness has been awarded £6 million in funding from the UK National Lottery's Big Lottery Fund.

Leeds Older People’s Forum (LOPF) will receive the money in six annual payments of £1 million.

Estimates indicate there could be around 37,000 people living in Leeds who are socially isolated and lonely. The lottery funds, which were awarded thorough the Big Lottery Fund's Fulfilling Lives: Ageing Better programme, will be used to set up a range of services designed to ensure people are not left home alone and suffering in silence.

LOPF chairman Bill Rollinson said: "This is great news for Leeds. We will offer older people in Leeds, currently living in the shadows of loneliness, a time to shine. This is why we have called our project 'Out of the Shadows: Time to Shine'."

The new community services will provide older people with more opportunities to get out and socialize on evenings, at the weekend, and on bank holidays. There will also be a project to provide mentoring for older people who find it especially difficult to gather enough confidence to leave their homes.

Councilor Adam Ogilvie, Leeds City Council’s executive member for adult social care, said: "Loneliness is not an inevitable consequence of old age and if everyone works together we can ensure that older people in Leeds don’t have to suffer in silence."

A couple from County Limerick visited the National Lottery Ireland's headquarters in Dublin yesterday and claimed the €350,000 top prize from the Irish Lotto Plus 1 drawing held on Saturday, August 23, 2014.

The couple, who live in Adare, have opted to keep their identity secret, but the National Lottery revealed they purchased their winning €4 Quick Pick ticket from the Centra store on Lower William Street in Limerick.

The lucky winners are said to be delighted to have won such a large house and already have some plans in place for using some of their lotto windfall.

"We've an old house which needs some improvements, so this couldn't have happened at a better time," the wife told lottery officials.

Friday, September 12, 2014

The EuroMillions jackpot evaded players for a seventh time earlier tonight, so the biggest Friday night winners were the 6 players who matched five main numbers and one Lucky Star. Each of them bagged second tier prizes of €278,515. A second Lucky Star would have scooped the €66.2 million (£52.7 million) jackpot.

The EuroMillions numbers drawn on Friday, September 12, 2014, were 9, 13, 26, 31, and 33. The two Lucky Stars were 7 and 11.

Twelve players failed to get any Lucky Stars, but secured third tier prizes of €46,419 for matching five main numbers.

Seventy-three players won €3,815 for matching four main numbers and two Lucky Stars, and 2,950,729 EuroMillions players were awarded smaller prizes from the lower tiers.

The next EuroMillions drawing is on Tuesday, September 16, 2014. The estimated jackpot is €73 million (£58 million).

A man in Twin Falls, Idaho, has been arrested for stealing $60,000 worth of lottery tickets from the Oasis Stop 'n' Go convenience store on Blue Lakes Blvd.

A spokesperson for the Twin Falls Police Department confirmed, store employee, James Michael Adam, 35, has been charged with nine counts of prohibited lottery acts and one count of grand theft.

An audit revealed the Oasis Stop 'n' Go lost $60,700 between January and June this year.

An investigation by a loss prevention officer discovered there had been a considerable shortage of lottery ticket in March. Further investigation revealed the ticket shortage began in January and the tickets had been activated, at the store, at a later date. The Idaho Lottery then looked deeper into the matter and discovered any winning tickets contained in the stolen packs had been cashed at WinCo Foods.

Footage taken from the surveillance video at WinCo Foods showed Adam cashing the tickets. A check of the surveillance system at Oasis revealed further incriminating footage of Adam breaking into the office and making away with full packs of tickets.

When he was confronted by his employer Adams admitted to the theft and returned two tickets, worth $2,500, which he hadn’t got around to cashing.

In an subsequent interview with the police Adams said he'd used the money from the tickets to play the slot machines and table games in Jackpot, Nevada.

A preliminary hearing will be held in the Twin Falls Magistrate Court on September 19, 2014.

A couple from Dublin, Ireland, returned from a three-week Spanish vacation on Wednesday and discovered they'd bagged the €250,000 jackpot from the Irish Lotto Plus 2 drawing held on Saturday, August 16, 2014.

The lucky winners, who have chosen to remain anonymous, claimed their prize yesterday and told lottery officials they'd taken the ticket on vacation with them, but had no idea it was worth such a lot of money.

"That ticket survived Barcelona, the pick-pocketing capital of the world," the man joked.

Although they have just returned from Spain, the unexpected influx of cash may soon see them jetting off a little further afield.

"We'll do some travelling," the mad said. Maybe New York to start. I've family in America, so it will be good to have the excuse to visit them."

Thursday, September 11, 2014

A big win was on the cards for a 28-year-old man from Washington D.C. earlier this week when he visited Chicago to attend a friend's wedding.

While he was in town Kevin Loftus popped into the 7-Eleven Store on East Wacker Drive and purchased an Illinois Lottery "Queen of Hearts" scratch-off ticket.

Loftus scratched off the ticket's coating just moments before leaving his hotel to attend the wedding ceremony, and realized it was his happy day as well when he discovered his $5 investment had secured a $200,000 prize.

"I celebrated the whole night feeling like the groom wasn’t the only lucky guy in the room," Loftus said.

The identity of Minnesota's newest Lotto Millionaires was revealed in a special press conference hosted at the Minnesota Lottery headquarters in Roseville on Monday, September 8, 2014.

Bethel residents Joe and Rhonda Meath matched the five main numbers and the Hot Ball in the US Hot Lotto drawing on Saturday, September 6, 2014, and scooped the entire $11.7 million jackpot.

When the lucky winners arrived at the lottery headquarters on Monday morning they were accompanied by three of their four children, along with several other family members and friends.

The Meaths described themselves as just ordinary people and said winning such a big prize came as a big surprise.

"It was, I don't know, overwhelming," Joe said.

The Hot Lotto jackpot is a little different from most other US lottery prizes because the game organizers pay the state and federal taxes instead of the winners; so the Meaths will be able to walk away with their entire $11,710,000 intact. They may not escape all tax liabilities though.

Minnesota State Lotto Executive Director Ed Van Patten said: "That's the mandatory minimum withholding; so they could still have some tax liability beyond that—you know—when they file their taxes."

When asked how they intended to use the money the Meaths said they had not made any major plans, but admitted a couple of ideas came to mind.

"She's getting a new vehicle that's about it," Joe said.

"He's thinking about a motor home, so then if we go south I can still show the dogs," Rhonda added.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

No tickets matched the six main numbers necessary to win the £8.1 million jackpot in the UK National Lottery Lotto drawing on Wednesday, September 10, 2014, so the draw ended in a rollover.

The UK Lotto numbers were 13, 16, 18, 24, 31, and 43. The bonus number was 2.

Five players matched five main numbers and the bonus ball, to win second tier prize of £41,514, and 180 ticket-holders won £979 third tier prizes for matching five numbers. A further £5,099,653 was distributed in smaller prizes to lower tier winners.

UK National Lottery Lotto drawings are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The next drawing is on Saturday, September 13, 2014. The estimated jackpot is £11 million.

A retiree from San Bruno, California, made a profitable decision at the weekend when he popped into the Speedy Spot store; purchased a California Lottery "Fantastic 5's Scratchers" ticket, and won the top prize of $150,000.

Keeping a cool head about the win, Arturo Castillo, 68, said he intends to give some of the money to his children and put the rest into savings.

In a statement released via the California Lottery, Castillo said he and his family are excited about the win.

A couple from Ramsgate in Kent has come forward to claim a seven-figure UK National Lottery prize from the Lotto drawing held on Saturday, August 2, 2014.

Retirees Sally Anne Wells, 63, and Jerry Gregory, 61, bought one of three tickets that matched the six main numbers necessary to scoop the £4,415,154 jackpot. Each ticket secured a £1,471,718 share of the prize, but although the other two ticket holders claimed their prizes fairly quickly Sally Anne had pinned their ticket to a notice board in their kitchen and never got around too checking it until this week.

The former council worker was finally spurred into action when she picked up the local paper and read about the unclaimed prize.

"We'd not long got back from France and I had about three months' worth of tickets pinned up on the notice board," Sally Anne explained. "The article reminded me that I needed to get online and check—not that I thought for one moment that I would win."

When she began checking through the tickets Sally Anne was surprised to discover she'd won a £25 prize in July, but her surprise turned to disbelief when she checked the numbers for August 2.

"I just needed a minute to collect my thoughts. It was disbelief," she recalled.

When asked if they had any plans for the money Sally Anne said: "We like things the way they are so, yes, we'll go on more holidays and get a new car for Jerry, but I'm happy with my life here as it is—and my little Golf."

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

No tickets matched the five main numbers and two Lucky Stars required to win Tuesday night's €55 million (£44.2 million) EuroMillions jackpot, but six ticket-holders won second tier prizes of €187,027 for matching five main numbers and one Lucky Star.

Fourteen tickets secured third tier prizes of €26,718 for matching five main numbers, 41 tickets secured prizes of €4,561 for matching four main numbers and two Lucky Stars, and 1,919,007 ticket-holders were awarded prizes from the lower tiers.

The EuroMillions numbers drawn on Tuesday, September 9, 2014 were 8, 15, 19, 24, and 35. The two Lucky Stars were 8 and 10.

The next EuroMillions drawing is on Friday, September 12, 2014, and, after six rollovers, there is an estimated €65 million (£52 million) Jackpot up for grabs.

Retiree, Robert Carter, 65, has been playing the lottery since 1979, but had never won more than $7 so he wore a big smile on his face yesterday when he visited the Virginia Lottery headquarters in Charleston and claimed a $1 million prize.

Carter's luck took a turn for the better at the beginning of last month when he was one of four players who successfully matched five of the numbers drawn in the US Powerball drawing held on Saturday, August 2, 2014.

Carter purchased his winning ticket from his local Go-Mart store in Poca, West Virginia. He is the 12th West Virginian player this year who has won a lottery prize of $1 million or more.

A former Verizon Employee, Carter also has 21 years of military service under his belt, and is looking forward to enjoying his retirement without the need for any money worries.

After 35 years of dedicated playing, he said it was nice to finally get something back.

"I think I’ve broke even now," he joked.

Carter's wife, Helen, checked the ticket on Sunday August 3, but had difficulty contacting the winner to tell him the news.

"I was on my way to visit my sister in Pennsylvania and was driving through one of those dark spots on I-79," Carter explained. "When I got back into service I had about 100 messages of my phone from them."

Carter rang Helen at once and got the surprise of his life when she said: "Stop the car! Get out of the car, don’t drive—you won the lottery."

When asked about his plans for the money, Carter said he intends to pay of his home and other debts, and hopes to take Helen on a special trip to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary.

A retiree from Goulburn, New South Wales, had reason to celebrate last week when he scooped a AUD$ 1 million Division 1 win in the Wednesday night Australia Lotto drawing.

The lucky winner claimed his prize on Friday and has opted to remain anonymous.

"I’ll admit I didn’t have a clue I’d won until I checked my ticket today!" he told lottery officials. He also admitted times have been tough for him over the past few years, but stated he has no intention of going on a mad spending spree.

"I’ll instead put my Wednesday Lotto prize money in the bank, take some time to think about what I’ll do with my windfall, and then make some wise decisions."

Monday, September 8, 2014

A EuroMillions player from Henley, England, who won a £157,766 prize, claims her lucky break was due a premonition that convinced her she should use the number 47.

Leah Gomersall, 60, usually only enters the EuroMillions Friday night drawing, but Leah was so convinced the dream number was winner she broke her habit and decided to purchase a ticket for the Tuesday, August 19, 2014, drawing.

"For some strange reason I couldn’t get the number 47 out of my head," Leah explained, "so when I went to get mum’s pension—on a whim—I decided to play EuroMillions using numbers four and seven in a variety of combinations."

Her tactics paid off because she was one of five players who successfully matched five main numbers and one Lucky Star.

Leah, who lives with her disabled mother, placed her winning ticket inside the mouth of her "Lucky Frog" ornament and forgot all about it. She remembered the ticket and the following week, took it to a local supermarket, and was flabbergasted when she discovered the size of her prize.

"When the lady in Tesco checked the ticket she said I had to ring Camelot because I’d had a big win," Leah said. "I was thinking it might be about £500. I didn’t dream it would be any more than that."

Leah has already put some of her winnings to good use. She has bought her mother a new mobility scooter and a digitally operated reclining chair. She also intends to treat her daughter, but says the money will not change her.

"We are a tight-knit little family and this win will mean life will be a bit brighter," she said.

The owner of A.W. Long Coal stated many items have gone missing from the site over the past few years.

Hutton was sentenced to 45 days to one year in jail with one year consecutive probation. He was also ordered to pay the coal company over $21,000 in restitution. The company wants Hutton to pay them $750 each month because he won $1,000 week for life, but Hutton told the court he receives one annual payment of $38,000 each year and uses it for house payments and property taxes.

Saturday's $11.7 million US Hot Lotto jackpot has been scooped by a ticket-holder in Twin Cities, Minnesota.

The US Hot Lotto numbers drawn on Saturday, September 6, 2014 were 1, 2, 3, 25, and 30. The Hot Ball was 19.

The lucky winner or syndicate has yet to step forward and claim the prize but, speaking on Sunday, Minnesota Lottery officials said this is the 11th time the Hot Lotto jackpot has been won by Minnesota ticket. It is also the largest prize so far.

Hot Lotto is a multi-state game and drawings are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The next drawing is on Wednesday, September 10, 2014. The estimated jackpot is $1 million.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

An Auto shop owner from Long Island, New York, got the surprise of his life last week when he discovered a lottery ticket worth $2.9 million had sitting in his truck, gathering dust, for a month.

Massapequa resident, Jerry Ritieni, 47, purchased $20 worth of New York Lotto tickets on Saturday, July 19, 2014, popped them in the console of his truck and forgot about them.

Ritieni discovered the forgotten tickets when he was searching his truck for some lost keys.

Not wasting any time, Ritieni took the ticket into his office at Extreme Auto Body Repairs, went online, and began checking the numbers.

Speaking to The Post last Thursday, Ritieni said: "I was going through my numbers one by one, circling each number that matched up. It took a minute for me to comprehend that I just hit the jackpot. I was like, 'No way, no way! Holy s@#t!'"

The first person Ritieni told was his son, but the 17-year-old initially thought his father was pulling his leg.

As soon as he realized he was in earnest he accompanied him to the New York Lottery office in Plainview and when the two returned there could be no further doubts about the Auto shop owner's improved financial status. The look on his face said it all.

A Tesco supermarket in Headington, England, is presently facing a dilemma. In order to sell UK National Lottery ticket a satellite linkup is required, but many local residents are saying the store's dish is too big.

Local councilor Ruth Wilkinson confirms the council has already received eight complaints about the "unsightly" dish situated on the side of the Tesco Express in London Road.

The dish has been in place since the store first opened in July this year.

The store's deputy manager is believed to be discussing the size of the dish with the National Lottery to try and establish if it needs to so large.

Tesco spokesperson said: "We’ve listened to community feedback and are working to resolve concerns."

The Canada Lotto Max jackpot was reset on Friday when one lucky ticket-holder matched all seven of the winning numbers and scooped the CAD$ 50 million top prize.

There were also seven CAD$ 1 million Maxmillions prizes up for grabs on Friday night. Three of them have been won. The other four will carry over to the next Lotto Max drawing.

Maxmillions are additional CAD$1 million prizes that come into play when the Canada Lotto Max Jackpot reaches CAD$50 million, and the number of available Maxmillions prizes usually increases every time the main draw ends in a rollover.

The next Lotto Max drawing is on Friday, September 12, 2014. The estimated jackpot is CAD$ 14 million.

Saturday, September 6, 2014

The UK National Lottery Lotto Jackpot eluded players for a second time earlier tonight. To win the £6.5 million prize it players would have needed to match all six of the main numbers. No player achieved this, but five ticket-holders won £82,919 for matching five numbers and the bonus ball, and 169 ticket-holders won £2,082 for matching 5 numbers. A further £ 7,408,550 was distributed in smaller prizes to lower tier winners.

The winning UK Lotto numbers drawn on Saturday, September 06, 2014, were 11, 29, 32, 37, 40, and 48. The bonus number was 14.

UK National Lottery Lotto drawings are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The Wednesday, September 10, 2014, Lotto drawing has an estimated jackpot of £8.2 million.

The CAD$ 1 million Canada Western 649 jackpot from the August 27, 2014, drawing has been claimed by a player from Alix, Alberta.

Casting his mind back to the night of the draw Kelly Korman stated the weather had been pretty bleak, but it wasn't the raging thunderstorm outside that kept him awake.

"We had a big thunderstorm that night, and the kids were in our room when I checked the numbers on my phone," Korman said.

Watching the numbers appear on the screen, one by one, they all looked very familiar and when the last two numbers were displayed, Korman was unable to contain his excitement.

"I flew out of bed, and I said to my wife, 'Oh my god, we just won WESTERN 649!'" Korman recalled."

But it was long wait until the morning.

"I think I only got about 20 minutes of sleep. My heart was pounding so hard, my chest hurt," he said.

Korman matched all six of the numbers necessary to scoop the CAD$ 1 million jackpot, but Lady Luck must have taken quite a shine to the young Canadian because he'd played by 8-number combination play and won several subsidiary prizes as well. His total winnings were CAD$ 1,006,850.

"I was just so happy," Korman said. "I've dreamt about this so many times."

As for his plans for the money, Korman said he intends to pay off his mortgage and some other bills, and lay some money aside for his children's' education.

Friday, September 5, 2014

There was a fifth EuroMillions rollover earlier tonight so there are no new EuroMillionaires.

Five players won second tier prizes of €299,036 for matching five main numbers and one Lucky Star. If any of those players had matched a second Lucky Star they would have scooped the €47,592,166 (£37.7 million) jackpot, but Lady Luck had other ideas so the big-money prize has been saved for another day.

The EuroMillions numbers drawn on Friday, September 5, 2014, were 1, 18, 23, 46, and 50. The two Lucky Stars were 3 and 9.

Thirteen players lucked out on Lucky Stars, but were awarded third tier prizes of €38,337 for matching five main numbers, and 105 players won €2,373 for matching four main numbers and two Lucky Stars.

A further 2,333,436 EuroMillions players were awarded smaller prizes from the lower tiers.

The next EuroMillions drawing is on Tuesday, September 9, 2014. The estimated jackpot is €54 million (£43 million).

During a press conference held at the California Lottery offices in San Bernardino, on Wednesday, September 3, 2014, US Mega Millions winner Rick Knudsen admitted he was not a regular player and said he only places his numbers four or five times a year when he gets a lucky feeling.

Rick's powers of intuition certainly came up trumps for him last month when he won the $180 jackpot on Friday, August 22, 2014.

The 53-year-old Calimesa resident said was feeling especially lucky the day before the draw so he popped into a local 7-Eleven store and purchased a $5 Quick Pick ticket.

"I just had a lot of lucky things happening," Rick explained. "I’m a numbers guy. I don’t buy [tickets] unless I feel lucky."

Rick never checked the Mega Millions numbers on the night of the draw, so he didn’t realize he'd become a millionaire until his sister rang him the following morning and said: "Hey, somebody in Calimesa won the Mega Millions. Did you buy a ticket?"

Truck driver Jim Flynn from South Hazelton, British Columbia, claimed a CAD$ 1 million Canada Lotto 649 prize on Wednesday, Septmber 3, 2014, and was remarkably calm and composed about his big win.

"Oh I just bought a ticket and won, that's all I can say. A couple days later I checked my tickets at Chevron and found out that I was a winner—I'll just keep on working!" Flynn said.

Flynn bought his winning ticket from the Chevron gas station in New Hazelton, and he isn’t the first person to secure a big win on one of the gas station's tickets. In November 2012, Terrace resident Bob Erb purchased a ticket that bagged him a Canada Lotto Max Jackpot of CAD$ 25 million.

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Pizza parlor worker, Arthur Lund, 36, picked up a generous helping of cash last week when his UK National Lottery scratchcard scooped him a £300,000 prize.

The lucky Runcorn resident bought his winning "Cash Lines" ticket using the last of his pocket change, while on his way to work.

"I buy scratchcards every now and again when I’ve got a spare pound or two," Lund said. "I was feeling particularly lucky that day and noticed the Cash Lines scratchcard—which is one I’ve never bought before—so thought I’d try my luck before starting my shift."

Lund waited until he'd arrived at the Pizza Parlor before he got to work on the ticket and was amazed at what his scratching revealed.

"I had to keep checking and double-checking that what I was seeing was actually real. I couldn’t believe it," Lund recalled. "I’ve had a few small wins in the past, but never thought I would be lucky enough to win a prize of this scale. It’s really going to change my life forever."

The Florida Lottery's Lucky Money jackpot of $1.2 million was scooped on Tuesday by a ticket-holder from Hialeah, but the winner has yet to come forward and claim their prize.

The numbers drawn on Tuesday, September 2, 2014, were 1, 9, 14, and 18. The Lucky Ball was 15.

The jackpot has been reset so the next Lucky Money drawing—on Friday, September 5, 2014—has an estimated jackpot of $500.

There may not be much money in the present Lucky Money pot, but the Florida Lotto jackpot has evaded players for a long time now so the present top prize is very tempting. Drawings are held twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The next Florida Lotto drawing is on Saturday, September 6, 2014, and boasts and estimated jackpot of $22 million.

A visit to the fair turned lottery loser Chris Rodgers into a lottery winner last week when one of his old tickets pulled in a $20,000 prize in the Colorado Lottery's Second-Chance Drawing.

The Colorado Lottery hosts the special drawing every year at the Colorado State Fair. To enter the draw players only need to turn up and enter their non-winning tickets. The drawing is held on the final day of the fair.

Thousands of tickets were entered throughout the 11-day expo and up to three finalists were selected each day.

Most of the 24 finalists turned up on Monday to be present for the big drawing, held in front of the Colorado Lottery's booth at the fair, but Rodgers was one of the few finalists not in attendance so he was not there to witness the moment his ticket scooped the top prize.

Walsenberg resident, Lenny Barela attended the drawing though, and couldn't believe his luck when his non-winner became a winner after all and bagged him the $3,000 second place prize.

Speaking about the win, Barela said he'd been saving his old tickets all year and estimated he'd entered around 3,000 non-winners into the draw, but admitted he'd had a little help.

"A lot of them were mine," Barela said, "but I also gathered tickets from my mom and my aunt. I'd say there was probably $13,000 worth of tickets in there."

When asked about his plans for the money, Barela didn't need to stop and think about his reply.

"This money is going straight to the bank," he said.

The $1,000 third place prize was picked up by Ryan Kyle, of Colorado Springs.

Canadian Lottery winner, Josef Golob, 78, visited the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto this week, claimed a six-figure Lotto 649 prize, and told lottery officials his wife would be the last person to know about the win.

Golob won $100,000 with Encore on Wednesday, August 27, 2014, on a ticket purchased from Nickle Gate Variety on Main Street and Ringwood Drive in west-end Stouffville. He is a regular customer at the store, so Golob was not the only one who was happy about the win.

"The attendant who always checks my tickets printed up the validation slip with the prize amount," Golob said. "She then came around the counter and gave me a big hug."

The lucky winner probably had a second hug to look forward to when he returned home.

"I haven’t told my wife yet," he said. "I wanted to surprise her with the check."

The Encore addition can be added to many of the OLG's games. It costs an extra CAD$ 1 and provides players with additional chances to turn win a prize.

A man from British Columbia, Canada, is feeling hacked off after he scratched off a British Columbia Lottery ticket and was unable to claim his meagre CAD$ 2 prize.

Steve Hildebran purchased two of the B.C. Lottery Corporation's "Blackjack Scratch & Win" tickets from Jimy Mac's Liquor Store in Langley, but when his scratching uncovered a small win a subsequent visit to a local gas station revealed he hadn't won after all.

"I can't give you any money," the clerk told him. "The thing's no good. It expired six months ago."

The clerk's words came as a big surprise to Hildebran because he'd bought the ticket just one day previously, but when the clerk turned over the ticket there was no denying the truth of his words. The expiry date printed on the reverse side of the ticket stated the ticket had expired on January 14, 2014.

"Every time I think about it I get mad," Hildebran said. "I just feel ripped off and the thing is: how many tickets have I bought since January 14th?"

Furious about the unexpected revelation, Hildebran contacted the British Columbia Lottery Corporation and voiced his concerns.

The lottery launched an immediate investigation and sent an investigator out to the offending store, but no further expired tickets were discovered.

In a written statement sent to America's CBS News the lottery said: "This retailer has no previous history of selling expired tickets and has offered to fully refund the player. Retailers who inadvertently sell expired tickets would be subject to investigation and possible discipline."

A lottery player from Brunswick, Ohio, recently celebrated her second big win of the year.

Earlier this year lucky Mary Riedel won $50,000 playing the Ohio Lottery's "Anniversary Millions" game and she was doubly fortunate two weeks ago she when bagged a $100,000 prize on a "Hot $100,000" scratch-off ticket.

Two years ago Riedel won just under $8,000 playing the lottery's "Cash Explosion" game, so Lady Luck has been quite generous with her, and each win is bigger than the one that precedes it.

When asked about her secret to lottery success, Riedel put it down to state of mind.

"I always think I'm going to win when I buy a ticket, I never think I’m not going to win it, so I think that’s half the battle," she explained.

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has awarded a £472,400 grant to the wildlife preservation charity, Froglife, to help support its River Nene Dragon Finder project. The four and a half year project aims to bring riverside residents together to help create more than 150 habitats for local wildlife such as the great crested newt and the smooth newt.

A recent assessment conducted by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) revealed 49% of Europe's reptile species and 59% of its amphibians are in decline. These worrying findings are believed to be largely due to disease and loss of habit—over one third of the UK's ponds have disappeared in the last 50 years.

Froglife's project will encourage local residents and visitors to assist with species identification and monitoring tasks as well as habitat management. A variety of events and activities are planned to promote the Dragon Finder project, and farmers and landowners will be provided with opportunities to learn more ecologically-friendly farming methods.

Drew Bennellick, Head of Landscape and Natural Heritage at HLF, said: "We loved the Froglife Trust’s creative solution to this environmental problem. It will give everyone connected to the River Nene—from local farmers to walkers and cyclists—the chance to get involved and learn more about wildlife conservation. The project has the potential to make a real difference in the area and we’ll be watching how it progresses with great interest."

The HLF is responsible for distributing a share of the funds raised by UK National Lottery Good Causes. HLF grants are awarded to projects designed to sustain and transform the British Heritage.

Monday, September 1, 2014

A ticket purchased in south-west Perth matched all six of the Australia Saturday Lotto numbers at the weekend and scooped a Division 1 prize of AUD$ 1,116,284. At the moment the identity of the lucky winner or syndicate remains a mystery because no has stepped forward to claim the life-changing prize.

The winning ticket was purchased from a newsagency in Harvey and store owner Steve Forward said news of the win had already stirred up a lot of excitement amongst local residents.

"It’s the talk of the town and everyone is pretty excited," Forward said. "We thought a win like this might be close."

The last time one of Forward's customers claimed such a large prize was nearly five years ago when a local resident won AUD$ 1 million from a November 2009 drawing.

Szott's wife and several family members accompanied him when he finally claimed his prize.

Presenting Szott with an oversized ceremonial check for $86,755,350, Lottery Executive Director Sil Lutkewitte said: "I'm very glad to introduce Carl Szott as the Pennsylvania Lottery's very first Mega Millions jackpot winner. This jackpot is also the fifth-largest prize in Pennsylvania Lottery history."

Although he has already had some time to get used to being a millionaire, Szott admitted winning such a large prize still took some getting used to.

"Winning the jackpot has been a surreal experience," Szott said. "We hope that very little in our lives will change; we are really excited to be able to spend more time with our children and grandchildren."

Mega Millions is the biggest jackpot game in America. Jackpots start at $15 million and other prizes range from $1 to a cool $1 million! Drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 23:00 (ET). The next drawing is on Tuesday, September 2, 2014. The estimated jackpot is $25 million.

Police in Kampong Cham, Cambodia, shutdown an illegal lottery ring at the weekend and arrested a local homeowner.

Officers grew suspicious when it was noticed the man regularly received an unusually numerous amount of visitors to his home. Suspecting illegal activities might be going on inside the house, the police staged a raid on Saturday, August 30.

Realizing the game was up, the man's customers fled the house and successfully evaded capture, but luck was not on the side of the illegal ticket seller. He was captured at once and won a free trip to the local court house.